World Water Day Visualization Challenge

Making Sense of Water Issues Through Data and Design

Fifty percent of the world’s population live in cities that hold over 10 million people. A mass migration from rural to urban areas is underway globally. Of all the challenges that influence this transition, none is more fundamental than water. Yet many of the world’s metropolitan centers lack planning, infrastructure and the water resources needed to support the new tide of urban residents. As these urban hotspots continue to grow at rapid rates, they seem to be outgrowing their urban water system. There is also evidence that water resources will be significantly affected by climate change, both in quantity and quality, particularly through the impact of floods, droughts, or extreme events.

In collaboration with Circle of Blue, the leading news organization reporting on global water issues, we would like to challenge the design community to visualize the provided water data and provide informative, clear, and cutting-edge visualizations that draw the connections between all or some of the following: the rapid growth of cities, the effect of climate change and natural disasters, and the urban water system. With a better understanding of this data, water institutes and those on the ground can propose effective solutions to the urban water problem.